NickUK - Feb 2018

Did look on here for horror stories but there don't seem to be any. I assume people would have posted the bad as well as the good so it is boosting my confidence a bit.

Stay positive, stay focussed. All will be great!
 
Most people who undergo TKR have very good results. We get a lot of members who struggle through those first weeks and months, which can be pretty rough, and go on to be very happy with their new knees. A few, of course, have had less than optimal surgeries and recoveries, and they too generally have good outcomes after their troubles are dealt with.

You have the right attitude: Stay Positive! :SUNsmile:
 
Hi Nick.
I love in Brighton in East Sussex and I am having my Right knee replacement on the 20th February. Having had my left knee replacement last September i know the drill and what is to come. I am getting ready mentally now as it is two weeks today. .
Don't take any notice of other people's horror stories. We are all individuals and know operation is the same.
If you need any information ,feel free to message me.
All the best.
 
@NickUK I had my bilateral TKR on the first (can it really only be 5 days ago?) and my life has already been changed so much. The horrible bone on bone pain is GONE.
I was certainly no great athlete before surgery, that's for sure. 62 year old grandma who walked my dog every day and such as that. Because they did both at once I spent 3 nights in the hospital. I was told I'm having an unusual recovery in that I'm able to move around so well and such. If it is happening for me it can happen for anyone.
I'm able to sleep on my side and have only been waking up for my meds. I have alarms set on my phone. I had a great surgeon and, I think, pain control is one of the reasons I'm doing so well. One night I had a nurse that didn't wake me up for my pain meds and I paid for it that day. Took the whole day to catch back up. So don't let the pain sneak up on you.

I do have an issue with getting to a standing position if the chair or whatever isn't high enough for my comfort. It is extremely painful. My bed is a bit high and I can pop up from it with no problem or pain at all. Check out the heights of toilets before you use them.

You are going to do wonderfully. The only reason I'm awake now is I had a nature call and then decided to clean up a bit as the home nurse and PT is coming for the first time tomorrow (guess I should say today). I'm going to ask them if I can go outside and walk a bit. I'll have to use a walker for that I'm sure.

I'm sure at some point something will happen and I'll go through the "what have I done to myself" phase but for right now it was the best thing I could have done for myself. So tell all those horror mongers to get lost!

Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing
 
Fanblismic SherrieT, I somehow sensed that you would do extremely well and lo and behold you have not proved me wrong..Before you know where you are you will be practising your "Singing in the Rain " routine for London in oct/nov..Cant wait to see your rendition..:dancy:

Say hello to Bashley for me....
 
It doesn’t take much negativity to throw us for a loop, either before or after this surgery.

My sister made a comment to me (which I won’t mention) that was very old school and untrue, but I can still hear her say it and even though I know it isn’t true, it still kind of scares me with “what if”. And no, she has never had a knee replacement.

Stick with Bonesmart where you will get the truth.

And just to let you know, there will be unrealistic expectations from your friends and acquaintances during your recovery. I think that is what shocked me the most, that even strangers would offer me comments and advice.
It’s maddening! :blackcloud:

If you’ve had comments from these people already, be prepared that they will have more to say afterwards. If you feel you can, set them straight now that you don’t want their comments. I wish I had a stronger personality to do that!
 
@ertuck That is so sweet. Thank you.

@NickUK One of the great things about the research is that, when something comes up, you can just tell yourself, "Oh yea. So that's what they were talking about". No stress, no freaking out. I just started hearing little clicks from my left knee and my thought was "hey they were right on BS, that does sound a little weird."

Trust your knee
 
Thanks all, it is reassuring.

I am learning to take advice from people who have had it done. Too many experts who have never experienced it.

I can offer expert advice on childbirth if anyone wants it :rofsign:
 
You will hear unrealistic stories, both overly positive (“so and so was running a marathon after a month!”) and negative. The vast majority of results are somewhere in the middle, and there wouldn’t be so many of these procedures being done if the results weren’t mostly great. It sounds like you have lived a very active life, and age 50 is way too soon to give that up! With your positivity, I predict you will do great!
I put it off for quite a while, and now realize the many times I compromised fun activities by having pain, or worse yet became less active altogether. My sister-in-law inspired me with her BTKR’s- she skis, bikes, etc., all pain-free. No regrets for me so far (almost 3 weeks post-surgery), and I’m looking forward to getting the other done sometime within the next year.
 
Is it acceptable post op to change my name from "Nick" to "Bionick". I'm no Steve Austin but I could defeat enemies by standing up!
 
Gosh, Steve... er, Nick... I don’t know. But I’ll check with our behind-the-scenes magicians and see what they can do.
 
Tis done!

Since he's not presently online, I emailed him to let him know it's been changed otherwise he might have problems logging it!
 
:flabber: It was actually a joke, any chance you could set it back
 
Stitched like a kipper lol
 
You'll be fine @Bionick.
I'm a similar age and a bit in front of you but only have positive things to say so far.
Of course it's not a walk in the park, but ignoring the naysayers and staying optimistic makes all the difference!
All the best with it!
 
@Bionick - As soon as you hit 1 week pre-op suddenly the days just will zoom by, you'll be wondering how in the world you will get all the stuff you wanted to do, done before surgery.

I was super paranoid over being around anyone that might get sick. I didn't even kiss the grandbabies the last couple of days. But they were able to visit me in hospital so got to make up for it then.

I now swear by the "cocktail" my daughter makes for me to deal with the opioid constipation issue: 6 oz of warm prune juice with 1 dose of Milk of Magnesia. It's called a Brown Cow (gotta love that). Except I just looked online and it looks like Milk of Magnesia has been banned in UK because it didn't meet some EU requirement. I'm not sure what the equivalent would be. Just don't be like me and wait a week before doing something about it and, since it takes about 4 hours to take effect, DON'T take it in evening. Makes for a long and miserable night. I guess it might seem kind of weird to have a stranger talk to you about bathroom issues but you will be uncomfortable enough without having to deal with that also. I was also taking the Colace my doc prescribed but it didn't do anything.

You are going to do great. You will probably (hopefully) wonder what the big fuss was about.

I also filled my Netflix and Amazon Prime with silly TV shows and movies that didn't require any thought or a plot to follow too closely. Still can't read and keep track of anything longer than a newspaper article. An I thought I was going to get so much reading done....
 
Still can't read and keep track of anything longer than a newspaper article. An I thought I was going to get so much reading done..

Hanging out on BoneSmart and internet browsing were the extent of my reading attention span for about three months. Instead, I found old TV Westerns unexpectedly engrossing. TV shows are a great choice for whiling away the recovery hours... and days... and weeks. :heehee:
 
Thanks SherrieT, all useful advice. The best is always from someone who is experiencing it

Not sure what drugs I will be offered, I have a (unfortunately proven) high tolerance to pain so hoping I can avoid the higher doses and strength meds. I have Netflix, amazon and sky so plenty to choose from to occupy me

If I can mirror your recovery I will be very happy, you are doing so well!

As regards subjects discussed I would rather it was our in the open rather than suffer as you did
 

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